History – Farming legacies

The New Zealand Century Farm And Station Award*, instituted in 2005, is intended to honour families who have lived and worked on the same property for than 100 years, and to acknowledge our country’s rich agricultural heritage. Those families whose tenure exceeds 150 years are eligible for a special Sesquicentennial award.

It is appropriate to reflect on the courage of pioneer families who came to a new land with few resources and, at first, were faced with the urgency of producing food for themselves through perseverance, trial and error. Eventually they made their land productive and contributed to the country’s agricultural economy. Among local families who would qualify for the awards are descendants of John and Rebecca Grimmer who bought Mahurangi Lot 123 from the Crown in 1855. Situated north of Warkworth, it was 88 acres of forest and even when some of the kauri had been felled and clearings made, there was little natural grass. John Grimmer’s correspondence with the newspapers of the time tell of his experimentation with various grass seed and his efforts to establish small areas of pasture. His interest in breeding birds was something of a stumbling block as his prize fowls were partial to the new green shoots.

In 1868, he travelled by steamer to England to collect a legacy leaving the family to care for the farm. He returned on the ship Siam bringing with him 30 pigeons. They must have thrived in his aviary as the following year he offered the Acclimatisation Society pigeons of seven varieties. At the Mahurangi Agricultural Show, held in the main street of Warkworth in February 1873, John Grimmer won 1st and 2nd prizes in the class for yoked working bullocks. By this time, his sons were young men working the land and using the bullocks to haul out logs and pull the plough. They were adept with a two-man saw and could cut kauri shingles expertly.

Over time more land was purchased including adjoining lots 122 and 137, and homes were built for the next generation. John Grimmer was active in the community serving on the Upper Mahurangi Highway Board, as treasurer of the Co-operative store and a trustee of the Presbyterian Church. He petitioned the Education Board requesting a school for Dome Valley and supported the Temperance movement. As a widower, he made one last trip to England in 1893 to see relatives and died in 1906, aged 86.

After 160 years, the original farm is still in the family having passed down through five generations and each farmer, while it has been in his or her charge, has shown versatility in adapting its use to the needs and conditions of the prevailing times. It would be interesting to hear of other ‘Century’ farms in the district and to include their stories in the museum archives.

Judy can be contacted at:

* An invitation is extended to all New Zealand farming families who have owned and worked their land for 100 years or more to apply for a Century Farm or Century Station Award or the Sesquicentennial (150 years) Award. Applications forms can be downloaded at centuryfarms.co.nz or contact the National Coordinator of the programme Mr Symon Howard,17 Ross Place, Lawrence 9532; phone 03 485 9136or email info@centuryfarms.co.nz